The Deadwood Gaming Association is backing an initiative that would, if passed, allow sports betting in the town where 22 of the state’s 30 casinos operate. Deadwood is the only town in South Dakota outside of Indian reservations where gaming other than the lottery is legal.
The association would like to see the initiative to amend the state constitution to allow sports betting put on the 2020 ballot. That would take action by the legislature. It has already submitted the preferred wording for the initiative to the legislature’s research council. The state attorney general is also vetting the proposal.
Mike Rodman, executive director of the Deadwood Gaming Association said his group is aiming towards having the activity legal in the state by July 1, 2021.
The proposal doesn’t get into the details of how sports betting would work but limits itself to a state amendment. If that happens, Rodman and his group would work with lawmakers to put flesh on the barebones of the law. He envisions the South Dakota Gaming Commission to regulate it and sees a state tax of up to 15 percent as being workable.
